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WSH JScript single-character input ?

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Dr J R Stockton

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Dec 4, 2011, 5:18:49 PM12/4/11
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Can command-line JScript, running in Windows script Host, read a
*single* character from the keyboard without needing Enter? My old
16-bit Pascal directory program HUNT accepts single-character responses
for Yes/No/Quit, and it would be nice to have my 32-bit WSH version of
it do the same.

If anyone wants to look, the WSH is SEAKFYLE.JS ("documentation" is
SEAKFYLE.HTM), which is called by SEEK.BAT, all linked from
<http://www.merlyn.demon.co.uk/programs/32-bit/00index.htm>.

--
(c) John Stockton, nr London UK ?@merlyn.demon.co.uk IE8 FF8 Op11 Sf5 Cr15
news:comp.lang.javascript FAQ <http://www.jibbering.com/faq/index.html>.
<http://www.merlyn.demon.co.uk/js-index.htm> jscr maths, dates, sources.
<http://www.merlyn.demon.co.uk/> TP/BP/Delphi/jscr/&c, FAQ items, links.

Evertjan.

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Dec 5, 2011, 3:26:11 AM12/5/11
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Dr J R Stockton wrote on 04 dec 2011 in microsoft.public.scripting.jscript:

> Can command-line JScript, running in Windows script Host, read a
> *single* character from the keyboard without needing Enter? My old
> 16-bit Pascal directory program HUNT accepts single-character responses
> for Yes/No/Quit, and it would be nice to have my 32-bit WSH version of
> it do the same.

StIn without pipe will read from the keyboard.

========== test.js ===========
var input = '';
while (!WScript.StdIn.AtEndOfLine) {
input += WScript.StdIn.Read(1) + '-';
}
WScript.Echo(input);
==============================

run with cscript [wscript has no StIn] in the cmd-console:

cscript test.js



--
Evertjan.
The Netherlands.
(Please change the x'es to dots in my emailaddress)

Dr J R Stockton

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Dec 5, 2011, 10:38:05 AM12/5/11
to
On Dec 5, 8:26 am, "Evertjan." <exjxw.hannivo...@interxnl.net> wrote:
> Dr J R Stockton wrote on 04 dec 2011 in microsoft.public.scripting.jscript:
>
> > Can command-line JScript, running in Windows script Host, read a
> > *single* character from the keyboard without needing Enter?  My old
> > 16-bit Pascal directory program HUNT accepts single-character responses
> > for Yes/No/Quit, and it would be nice to have my 32-bit WSH version of
> > it do the same.
>
> StIn without pipe will read from the keyboard.
>
> ========== test.js ===========
> var input = '';
> while (!WScript.StdIn.AtEndOfLine) {
>    input += WScript.StdIn.Read(1) + '-';}
>
> WScript.Echo(input);
> ==============================
>
> run with cscript [wscript has no StIn] in the cmd-console:
>
> cscript test.js


Requires Enter.

--
(c) John Stockton, near London, UK. Using Google, no spell-check.
Mail: J.R.""""""""@physics.org or (better) via Home Page at
Web: <http://www.merlyn.demon.co.uk/>
FAQish topics, acronyms, links, etc.; Date, Pascal, JavaScript, ....|

Evertjan.

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Dec 5, 2011, 1:05:05 PM12/5/11
to
Dr J R Stockton wrote on 05 dec 2011 in comp.lang.javascript:

> On Dec 5, 8:26ĸam, "Evertjan." <exjxw.hannivo...@interxnl.net> wrote:
>> Dr J R Stockton wrote on 04 dec 2011 in
>> microsoft.public.scripting.jscrip
> t:
>>
>> > Can command-line JScript, running in Windows script Host, read a
>> > *single* character from the keyboard without needing Enter? ĸMy old
>> > 16-bit Pascal directory program HUNT accepts single-character
>> > responses for Yes/No/Quit, and it would be nice to have my 32-bit
>> > WSH version of it do the same.
>>
>> StIn without pipe will read from the keyboard.
>>
>> ========== test.js ==========
>> var input = '';
>> while (!WScript.StdIn.AtEndOfLine) {
>> ĸ ĸinput += WScript.StdIn.Read(1) + '-';}
>>
>> WScript.Echo(input);
>> ========================
> =====>
>> run with cscript [wscript has no StIn] in the cmd-console:
>>
>> cscript test.js
>
>
> Requires Enter.
>

Then I guess it cannot be done, as shown by scriptingguy in 2004:

<http://blogs.technet.com/b/heyscriptingguy/archive/2004/10/05/how-can-i-
pause-a-script-and-then-resume-it-when-a-user-presses-a-key-on-the-
keyboard.aspx>

Tom Lavedas

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Dec 5, 2011, 3:33:39 PM12/5/11
to
On Dec 5, 1:05 pm, "Evertjan." <exjxw.hannivo...@interxnl.net> wrote:
> Dr J R Stockton wrote on 05 dec 2011 in comp.lang.javascript:
>
>
>
>
>
> > On Dec 5, 8:26 am, "Evertjan." <exjxw.hannivo...@interxnl.net> wrote:
> >> Dr J R Stockton wrote on 04 dec 2011 in
> >> microsoft.public.scripting.jscrip
> > t:
>
> >> > Can command-line JScript, running in Windows script Host, read a
> >> > *single* character from the keyboard without needing Enter? My old
> >> > 16-bit Pascal directory program HUNT accepts single-character
> >> > responses for Yes/No/Quit, and it would be nice to have my 32-bit
> >> > WSH version of it do the same.
>
> >> StIn without pipe will read from the keyboard.
>
> >> ========== test.js ==========
> >> var input = '';
> >> while (!WScript.StdIn.AtEndOfLine) {
> >> input += WScript.StdIn.Read(1) + '-';}
>
> >> WScript.Echo(input);
> >> ========================
> > =====>
> >> run with cscript [wscript has no StIn] in the cmd-console:
>
> >> cscript test.js
>
> > Requires Enter.
>
> Then I guess it cannot be done, as shown by scriptingguy in 2004:
>
> <http://blogs.technet.com/b/heyscriptingguy/archive/2004/10/05/how-can-i-
> pause-a-script-and-then-resume-it-when-a-user-presses-a-key-on-the-
> keyboard.aspx>
>
> --
> Evertjan.
> The Netherlands.
> (Please change the x'es to dots in my emailaddress)- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

I wrote a JScript routine a little while back that used Sendkeys to
implement a one-letter routine that didn't need an enter key and
supported a timeout. Unfortunately, Win7 disables Sendkeys in a
command window, so it's now broken. On the other hand, Win7 added
Choice.exe back to the utility list. It supports single keystroke
entry.

I also wrote this little batch kludge that receives single key strokes
Y/N and control-C for cancel ...

:: YN.cmd - Yes/No/Cancelled test
@echo off
setlocal>%temp%.\1
SET /P =Your answer (Y/N)?<nul
for /f "tokens=2 delims=?" %%a in (
'xcopy %temp%.\1 %temp%.\1 /p /y ^< con 2^>NUL ^|find "?"'
) do set "Answer=%%a"
del %temp%.\1
ECHO.%Answer% % optional %
if "%Answer%"==" " ECHO Cancelled % optional % & exit /b 255
echo %Answer%| find /i "y" >NUL
if errorlevel 1 ECHO No % optional % & exit /b 1
echo Yes % optional %

It is not case sensitive. It returns three Errorlevels: Y = 0, N = 1,
Cancel = 255.
______________________________
Tom Lavedas
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